‘Disgusting’ Kaufman says Israel ‘uses Shoah to justify murder of Palestinians’
Israelis are “murderers” who “use the Holocaust…to justify their murder of thousands upon thousands of Palestinians”, according to “despicable and disgusting” comments made yesterday by Parliament’s longest-serving Jewish MP.
Sir Gerald Kaufman also used Wednesday night’s Westminster Hall debate on the UN’s inquiry into last year’s war in Gaza to call for an arms ban and economic sanctions on Israel – a country he says has “achieved nothing…except to make the lives of the people of Gaza total hell”.
The Father of the House is an outspoken critic of Israel, having previously dubbed the country “a pariah state”, and has served as the Labour MP for Manchester Gorton since 1970.
The 85-year-old said: “The Israelis use the Holocaust, they use the murder of six million Jews to justify their murder of thousands upon thousands of Palestinians.
“The Israelis are murderers in Gaza. They have murdered thousands of people in Gaza. They have achieved nothing by doing so, except to make the lives of the people of Gaza total hell.
“We have to take action. We have to impose an arms ban and economic sanctions on these murderers, who live a first-world life courtesy of America and the European Union. The Palestinians are a persecuted people and it is time that that persecution was brought to an end. We will not rest until the Palestinians are free.”
Kaufman also added that he thought the UN’s response to 2014’s Operation Protective Edge had not gone far enough.
His uncompromising rhetoric drew harsh criticism from Hendon MP Matthew Offord, who dubbed Kaufman’s comments “despicable and disgusting”, before going on to re-affirm his belief in Israel’s right to exist and criticise the UN’s alleged anti-Israel bias.
The Conservative MP said: “We should bear in mind that the UN has a long history of criticising Israel, more than it has any other country in the world — so much so that many of us feel that its criticisms are no longer legitimate.
“Israel has a right to exist. It is constantly under attack—that seems to be forgotten by the UN Human Rights Council and some members here this afternoon.
“None of us rejoices in the deaths of any human being, but to claim that any country kills people as a result of the Holocaust is not only despicable and disgusting, but disrespectful to the House.”
Sir Gerald’s comments represent the second occasion in two months that he has used his parliamentary platform to launch an attack on the Israeli government – last month he accused Benjamin Netanyahu of racism in the Queen’s Speech Debate, and slammed Israel’s “most extremist government”.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
